1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the separation of allose, a rare sugar, from aqueous solutions resulting from allose preparation steps, with these solutions containing a diverse mixture of sugars and possibly other carbohydrates. The invention also relates to the separation by selective adsorption of allose by certain cation exchange resins.
2. Background of the Invention
Artificial sweeteners are receiving increased attention as low caloric content dietary aids. One specific class or type of artificial sweetener is the L sugars. These sugars tend to have desirable sweetness but are not believed to be metabolized in the human body and therefore do not provide caloric intake. While therefore appearing to be excellent low-calorie sweeteners, many L-sugars are plagued by undesired physiological effects which make them unsuitable for most food products.
Efforts are still being made to locate natural sugars having the desired qualities of sweetness, low caloric value and no adverse physiological effects. One focus of these efforts is investigation of rare sugars, such as allose, which must be produced from other sugars and then recovered by some series of separation steps such as crystallization or adsorption.